Friends Forever?
by mysterymaiden7
Summary: When the female Titans are captured by Slade, it will take all the skill and courage the others possess to save them...
1. Captured!

Chapter 1  
  
"Thank you for giving me these 'jellied beans,' Robin." Starfire remarked sweetly as she and Robin made their way back to the Tower. "I quite enjoyed the... screaming death-trap? Is that how Raven spoke of it?"  
  
"It's was a carnival Star, but I'm glad you had fun." Robin responded with a smile.  
  
A low chanting interrupted their thoughts as both Titans looked up to see Raven meditating on the roof.  
  
"Perhaps Raven wishes to partake of my jellied beans?" Star instantly flew up to the roof, clutching the bag of jelly beans to her chest. She landed silently, walked up behind Raven, while Raven hovered a few feet off the ground and chanted quietly to herself.  
  
"Hello friend! Perhaps you with to indulge in sugary goodness with me?"  
  
"No." Raven responded in a flat voice, not even bothering to open her eyes.  
  
"Perhaps you may wish to volley the ball with me?"  
  
"No." Raven said once a again, a slight edge of annoyance beginning to creep into her words.  
  
"Perhaps..."  
  
"Starfire, I am mediating. In order to do that I need total silence."  
  
Visibly hurt, Star shut her mouth and turned to leave. A second later, Robin's voice broke the silence.  
  
"Titans! Trouble!"  
  
With an annoyed look, Raven settled to her feet and headed to the door. Starfire held up her bag of jelly beans.  
  
"What am I to do with these?"  
  
"No time, get rid of them." Raven said with a dismissive gesture, not bothering to turn around.  
  
After a moment, Star let the bag fall to the roof. She stood, looking at them sadly for a moment, before hurrying to catch up to Raven.  
  
Before she got two steps, however, a large mechanical orb appeared, hovering inches above Star.  
  
"Starfire, we don't have time..."Raven began, turning around at the sound of Star's scream, only to see Star, now unconscious, being picked up by a giant metal tentacle that had shot out of the opening orb.  
  
"Star!" Raven ran toward her, grabbing her friend by the arm, seconds before the metal tentacle would have pulled her inside the main body of the machine.  
  
"Starfire!" Raven yelled, yanking her friend's arm futilely. A second tentacle whipped out of the belly of the machine, struck Raven over the head, and pulled them into it's belly.

OOOOO  
  
Robin paced anxiously in front of the view screen, surveyed by a wary Cyborg and Beast Boy.  
  
"Where are they?" He asked for what had to be the tenth time in the last minute or so.  
  
"Dude, if we knew, we'd have told you already." Beast Boy responded warily.  
  
"Raven! Star! Get down here now!" Robin barked into the communication device once again.  
  
"Man, I don't think that's helping." Cyborg told him, taking the device from him. "Maybe they can't come."  
  
"Quite right." The view screen behind them crackled to life, Slade's masked face in the center. "I'm afraid they can't hear Robin, they're a bit... tied up at the moment."  
  
Robin's heart stuttered to a stop, then froze. Slamming his hands down on the control panel he demanded, "What have you done with them?!"  
  
"Done? Nothing... yet. Do you really think you can save them, Titans? But, I'll be a good sport and give you a fighting chance. Your friends are at the old theater, down by the docks. I'll be waiting. Don't disappoint me."  
  
The screen faded to black. Slamming his hands on the panel once again in frustration, Robin whirled around to face the Cyborg and Beast Boy.  
  
"We're going after them." He told them.  
  
"Then what are we standing around here for?" Cyborg demanded instantly, "Let's go!"

OOOOO  
  
Scant minutes after that, the 'T' Car sped around one curve after another, barely missing the edge of each turn before jolting back onto the road.  
  
"Faster!" Robin demanded, his voice tense. "Slade could have-"  
  
"Man! I know! But I can't go any faster without blowin' my baby apart!"  
  
"Not to mention us!" Beast Boy squeaked from where he huddled in the back seat.  
  
Robin's mouth set in a grim line, nodded once. He understood, even if he didn't like it. His mind was wide with the thought of what could have happened to the girls. He was frantic to get them back safely, and to pound Slade into the dirt for anything he might have done to them. If only this stupid car would go faster!  
  
As Cyborg squealed to stop in front of the old theater, Robin opened the door and launched himself out of the car, hardly waiting for it to stop moving before he leapt. Beast Boy and Cyborg jumped out seconds later and followed him into the deserted theater.  
  
"Spread out!" Robin snapped, too worried to bother being polite. The others obeyed without question, moving to cover Robin's sides, searching every available space for the girls.  
  
Beast Boy shoved aside an old table, uncovering a door to the main part of the theater.  
  
"Robin! Cyborg! Over here!" He whispered, waving them over. He shoved the door open a crack, then a bit more, morphing into a rat to scurry through the crack and open the door for the others.  
  
"Nice job." Robin told him, looking around to survey the room. The sloping floor gave way to the stage. The floor itself was covered with hundreds of seats, split by aisles every twenty chairs or so. Balconies lined the side of the stage, and stairs that obviously led to them were stationed at the back. Up on the stage itself, two dark forms lay collapsed on the floor. Robin squinted, trying to get a better look. At that exact moment, a light switched on, revealing the forms of his friends.  
  
Ignoring the fact that Slade knew they were there, he had to know, Robin ran towards the bodies of his friends. His only thought was to get to them, make sure they were okay...


	2. The End?

Chapter 2  
  
Robin skidded to halt beside the bodies of his friends, dropping to his knees beside Star to gently prop her up against him. He looked into her face and realized...  
  
"Dolls!" Cyborg spat, holding up the Raven double, "Slade tricked us!"  
  
"Then where are the real Star and Raven?" Beast Boy asked, looking around frantically.  
  
"They are safe." Slade's voice boomed into the theater, "But for how much longer, I cannot guarantee."  
  
The Titans instantly stood, abandoning the dolls as Slade's minions rose from the seats to surround them.  
  
Robin inwardly cursed himself for being so foolish. How could I let myself get so carried away?! Now all my friends are in danger, and it's my fault!  
  
Pushing the thoughts away, he focused completely on the trouble at hand.  
  
"Titans- Go!"

OOOOO  
  
_Beast Boy was making a quadruple chocolate, fudge, marshmallow sundae. Raven sat nearby on one of the couches, reading her newest book. Robin and Cyborg squabbled over who was the better Game-Stationer. Star let out a little laugh from her position on the stool near the counter as Beast Boy added a cherry to the top of his monstrous sundae. "Star? Starfire! Star, wake up!"  
_  
"Star! Are you okay?" Raven's voice broke into her mind and she shifted slightly, beginning to wake fully.  
  
"I am not severely damaged." Star managed, taking in her surroundings.  
  
They were tied together, back to back. Coils of chain surrounded their wrists, holding their hands above their heads. They hung suspended perhaps a few dozen feet off the floor. Their legs were tied together as well.  
  
"At least you're awake. I was worried-" Raven abruptly broke off.  
  
"You were worried about me?" Star inquired quietly.  
  
"Of course!" Raven said gruffly, "I was afraid you were hurt or, or..."  
  
Star remained silent so long Raven became worried.  
  
"Star? Are you all right? Look, I'm sorry I was mean to you earlier. I just- "  
  
"It is all right my friend, all is forgiven."

OOOOO  
  
"Don't move." Slade's voice broke into Robin's thoughts. He looked to the balconies above to see Slade, holding a small remote control in his outstretched hand.  
  
"Where are they!?" Beast Boy demanded furiously, "What did you do with our friends?!"  
  
"Right... here." Slade pressed a button on the remote, opening a hatch in the floor about the center of the theater. Through it dropped...  
  
"Star! Raven!" Robin yelled, his cried joined by that of the other Titans. Their heads down, they hung a few feet off the floor. Both of them looked up at the sound of their friends.  
  
"I knew they would come..." Star whispered to Raven. And, although Star couldn't see it, Raven smiled slightly in return.  
  
"Now." Slade's commanding voice broke through the silence. "You Titans are in more trouble then you think." He pressed the second button on the control and the floor of the theater split, revealing the crashing surf below. The water spilled into the theater, filling it slowly.  
  
"No!" If they didn't get to the girls in time they would drown! With an angry growl, Robin pulled out his hook and shot it toward the balcony Slade was on. Swinging himself up, he struck at Slade, desperate to get the remote from him.  
  
Beast Boy transformed himself into a rhinoceros and began charging around the stage, clearing it of Slade's minions, which had begun to attack the moment Robin had moved.  
  
"What can we do?" Satrfire asked Raven anxiously as she watched the battle through widened eyes.  
  
"I don't know..." Raven muttered. "I'm so tired... My powers are completely worn out. I can't even concentrate..."  
  
"It's up to me then..." Star mummered. Her hands began to glow a light green, gently spreading to begin melting the chains that held them. "Hold on... I almost got them..."  
  
"Wait! Star! Hold on!" Raven's warning came too late as the chains snapped and both Titans plunged into the frigid water below.  
  
Star nearly lost her starbolt as the freezing water began to freeze her body. _Concentrate!_ She commanded herself, reaching down to begin melting the chains at their feet. Her lungs burning, she finally managed to break through the chain binding their feet. _Breathe!_ Her body demanded as darkness consumed her. Her last thought before she passed out was: _Raven!_

OOOOO  
  
Raven watched anxiously as Star melted through the last of the chain. She kicked up to the surface, gasping as her aching lungs took in the relatively fresh air.  
  
"Star! You did it! Starfire?" She looked around frantically, hoping to see her friend surface...  
  
"No!" she gasped, diving back beneath the surface of the water. She caught a glimpse of red hair and darted around to see Star, floating abnormally still near the bottom.  
  
_No!_ Raven's mind shrieked as she dived down to retrieve her friend. She grabbed Starfire under her arms, kicking herself to the surface. But she was so tired... _I can't give up!_ She continued to kick, her strokes becoming more and more feeble. _I can't let her go... I can't... She saved me..._


	3. Is It Over?

Chapter 3  
  
Raven's cry cut through Beast Boy's anger. "Raven?" He whipped around to watch as she and Starfire plunged into the water, "No!" Instantly he leapt into the water changing into a shark as he jumped. One of Slade's cronies slammed into him, forcing him back onto the stage.  
  
"No! Raven!" he cried as he was forced to change into a lion and defend himself. Moments later, a surge of relief hit him as he saw Raven surface. He caught her frantic look and a wave of anxiety hit him. _Where's Starfire?  
_  
Raven plunged beneath the surface once again as Beast Boy struck down another of Slade's faceless henchmen. When she didn't surface this time, he dived into the water, coming up as a dolphin. _Raven! Star!_ He dived beneath the surface to see Raven pulling Star to the surface slowly, too slowly. As he watched she faltered, her legs quit kicking...  
  
_No!_ He shot over to them, nudging them to the surface with his nose. He changed into a whale and managed to dump them both onto the stage, leaping up beside them.  
  
"Are you all right?" He demanded as Raven stirred slightly. She sat up, coughing out a mouthful of water.  
  
"Star! Where's Star?!"  
  
Starfire sat up next to Raven, shivering slightly, "I am... alive? And undamaged?"  
  
"Yeah." Beast boy said with a small smile, "I'm glad you're both okay."  
  
"Where's Slade?" Raven hissed angrily, helping Star to her feet.  
  
"Last I knew, in one of the balconies. But Robin's got him."  
  
"Not any more." Raven's eyes glinted black and a shadow surrounded her body. She levitated off the floor, her arm around Star's waist as they landed in the balcony.  
  
Slade's back was to them as he fought Robin, kicking and dodging.  
  
Raven muttered an incantation under her breath and Slade was surrounded in shimmering black fire. She threw him into a wall, then slammed him into a door near the stairs. Slade grabbed the handle and vanished into the stairwell.  
  
"No!" Raven screamed angrily. "You're not getting away that easily you monster!"  
  
Ignoring Robin's look of relief Raven threw herself up the stairway and after Slade.  
  
Starfire turned to Robin, "I must go with her... She may need me." Robin nodded his understanding, but caught her hand when she turned to leave.  
  
"Be careful."  
  
"You will be fine?" Star hesitated slightly.  
  
"Nothing will happen. Raven needs you. Now go."  
  
Star squeezed his hand slightly before leaving.  
  
Star emerged on the roof, looking up to see Slade piloting a small hover craft.  
  
"He's getting away!" Raven instantly levitated to follow him, but was stopped by Star's hand on her arm.  
  
"You are still weak." Star reminded her quietly. "Your angry may give you strength for now, but it will not last long." Raven shook off Star's hand.  
  
"By then, it won't matter if I have my powers or not. Slade's toast."  
  
"Then I am going with you." Falteringly, Star hovered a few inches off the roof, each movement costing her the little energy she had left.  
  
"Star- No... You-"  
  
"I am going Raven. You cannot hope to change my mind." Star took off after Slade, who by now was fast disappearing over the sea of buildings. Raven followed close behind, leaving the boys to deal with the rest of Slade's henchmen.  
  
They both sped up when Slade did, as he realized they were following him. When they caught up with him Raven summoned a ball of black energy and whipped it at Slade. It missed and hit his hover craft. The machine instantly began sputtering black smoke, coming to a crash against the side of another building. Slade threw himself free at the last instant, springing to land safely on the roof of a large building. Raven landed, Star coming to rest beside her only a moment later.  
  
"It's over Slade. You have no hope of escaping both of us." Star told him, summoning a glowing starbolt.  
  
"On the contrary Titans. You are going to let me walk away from this."  
  
Raven made a noise of disbelief. "If you honestly think-"  
  
Salde continued as if he hadn't been interrupted, "Because if you don't, your team mates will die."  
  
Starfire froze beside Raven, "What are you talking about?" She croaked through a throat suddenly gone dry.  
  
"There is a bomb back at the theater. It should go off in... oh, I suppose a minute or so. You could try to get back in time to warn your teammates. Although you would probably be too late. Or you can remain and capture me. It is your choice."  
  
Time seemed to stand still. A thousand things ran through both girls heads in the space of a second. Memories, emotions, hopes, dreams...  
  
"There's no choice at all." Raven told him in her expressionless voice. She levitated, pulling Star up beside her. They both shot off for the theater, leaving a laughing Slade in their wake.  
  
They were still a mile or so from the theater when Star began to drop. Slowly she floated back to Earth, dropping onto a street. Raven landed beside her and helped her up, putting her arm around her shoulder to support her.  
  
"Come on Star! It's not that far! We have to get there in time!"  
  
"I so tired... I can't make it. Please go on without me! I don't want-"  
  
The sound of an explosion cut her off in mid-sentence.  
  
"No!" Star cried out, releasing Raven and dropping to her knees, "We were too late!" 


	4. Happily Ever After?

Chapter 4  
  
Starfire sobbed helplessly into her hands. Her hair covered her face as her shoulders shook helplessly. Raven stood with a numbed expression on her face, too frozen to even react.  
  
"They can't be gone..." Star sobbed, "They can't!"  
  
Raven didn't even bother trying to comfort her. Nothing she could say would change what had just happened. Memories of the times they spent together whipped through her mind.  
  
_Beast Boy, stealing the remote when Cyborg wasn't looking... Arguing over pizza toppings with the other Titans... Robin and Cyborg exercising in the gym... Battling Slade... Robin's disguise as Red X... Terra joining the Titans... Playing volleyball with the other Titans... Picnicking with everyone in the park... Trying to read while the boys played Game-Station... Laughing with the others... Battling villains... Watching Beast Boy create the world's largest sandwich... Having girl talks with Star, constantly being interrupted by the others... Watching bone-chilling movie marathons... Trying to convince Beast Boy she didn't want any tofu eggs... Training with Robin on the obstacle course... Hiding Beast Boy's nail clippers... Battling Jinx, Gizmo, and Mammoth... Helping Cyborg to recover and rebuild the 'T' Car... The beep of her communicator... Robin's voice calling out "Titans! Trouble!"... Meeting Aqualad... Being captured by the Master of Games... Dealing with the arguments and hassles living in the Tower created... When she first joined the Titans... When Robin became Slade's apprentice... When Beast Boy was abducted by a flying saucer and she was forced to be bait for an alien dog..._ **Never again.  
**  
Her knees gave out and she dropped to the ground beside Star. A single, silver drop dripped from her eye, landing on the ground beside her. Her fists were clenched so hard she could feel her nails digging into her palms. Her hood slipped farther over her face, hiding her eyes.  
  
A screeching noise brought her back to herself. A car was hurtling toward her and Star. Her powers nearly gone, she summoned the last of her energy and levitated her and Star to safety.  
  
The cat squealed to a stop beside them, the door popping open to reveal...  
  
"Oh god..." Raven breathed as Robin, Beast Boy, and Cyborg, emerged from the 'T' Car.  
  
"Are you all right?" Robin demanded, holding on to a sobbing Star, who, the moment she had seen him, had launched herself at him and refused to let go.  
  
"What happened?" Raven demanded, grudgingly excepting Beast Boy's help as she stood, "How did you get out of there in time?"  
  
Robin shook his head. "We discovered the bomb about the time it went off. We barely made it out. If we had seen it a moment later... I don't want to think about what could have happened."  
  
Star shakily released Robin, but leaned on him to help hold her up, "Slade told us. We were returning to warn you. We thought..." She let out another tiny sob and Robin hugged her again.  
  
"We're all fine." He told her gently. Cyborg opened the door to the 'T' Car and Robin set Starfire gently inside, "We all need rest. We're going back to Titan Tower."  
  
Beast Boy set Raven inside and climbed in after her as Robin went around to the front and climbed in the passenger side.  
  
Robin reached back and gently clipped a sleeping Starfire's seat belt. After a moment, he unclipped his cape and spread it over her before clipping his own seat belt in. Cyborg glanced in the rearview mirror, watching as Raven dozed, cradled up against Beast Boy.  
  
"Take it slow..." Robin told him as they started toward home. 


End file.
